Why Blog? Why Now? WHY GOD, WHY!?!?
Here’s a fun fact about me. I’ve always made fun of bloggers. So much so that I have a little canvas bag that, on one side, says “Nobody cares about your blog”. On the other, it says “Not even your mom”. I still believe that. So deciding to start this blog kind of goes against everything I believe in, but then again, so does alcohol before noon and I’ve made exceptions for that, so…
Another fun fact – There’s something very, deeply wrong with me. But it’s something I’ve come to terms with and have accepted. It’s something I now have no intention or desire to change.
I remember being told by my childhood English teachers that the best way to start any story is by telling the readers the Who, What, Why, Where, When and How’s. So, in honor of Mrs. Barrick and Mrs. Filkosky, here goes nothing.
Who?
Well, that’s already been answered on the “About Me” page. So just go there.
What?
What’s wrong with me you ask? Well, lots actually. But what is the purpose of a blog that may very well become nothing more than my online ramblings read by a few close friends and maybe, just maybe, my mom?
It all ties back to this thing that’s wrong with me. I’ve gotten very good at assimilating to my culture – the culture of a single, “successful” homeowner who pays her mortgage and makes her sales quota (almost) every year. While on the outside I’ve become very apt at living that reality and playing that part, inside I reject it.
Some of the people I admire most in life are the ones who society sees as irresponsible – those brave nomads who live where they want, how they want and move when they’re tired of their surroundings – those inspiring souls who go where their hearts lead them, find enough work to simply live and could care less about owning a car or designer jeans. People like Christopher McCandless, a young man who paid the ultimate price to lead a fascinating life of freedom and adventure. I have no doubt that those people are the happiest in the world.
I’m inspired by those people and yet I continue to be too frightened to do it myself. I know this makes me a hypocrite. I sit in the comfort of my three-bedroom home, drive my Infiniti and wear my nice clothes knowing full-well that’ it’s eating away at me. So instead of taking a true leap of faith, I simply run every chance I get with those ever-so-valuable weeks of vacation.
I work very hard 48-49 weeks out of the year so that I can spend those other three or four finding my joy by walking my own path and getting as far away from myself and from my life as I possibly can. Don’t get me wrong. There is nothing wrong with living the norm…if that is what you want. If that is where your heart is, by all means, you should be there and there is nothing to be ashamed of by it. And if you do, I respect it. I respect anyone who lives their happiness, no matter what that happiness is. However, that is not where my heart is. Mine is somewhere out in the world. It’s in pieces. I’ve left bits of it in every place I’ve traveled and I fear it won’t be whole again until I find a way to live a life as adventurous as my soul feels inside of me.
Why?
Why be a hypocrite? Why go against my belief that blogs are stupid and start my own? Why now? Well, I’m constantly being asked about my travels. Friends tell me I should have a travel blog to share my experiences in more depth than a few Facebook posts and photo albums. There are also a lot of other common questions I get about my adventures? How do I afford it? How do I get the time off work? Why do I do it in the first place? Why can’t I just grow up, get married and have babies like I’m supposed to…like all the responsible, real adults out there? When am I going to stop?
So I guess the purpose of this blog is three-fold.
First – This blog will be my attempt to answer at least some of those questions. It will be my, most likely futile, attempt to help some people understand me, even though I don’t entirely care whether or not they do. There are people in my life whom I love very much – and who I know love me – but they don’t quite get me. I’ve had people try to make sense of the things I do in ways that they’ll understand. They’ve asked me if I travel like I do because I’m trying to prove something or if it’s because of my OCD. It’s like they’re trying to attribute my passion to some sort of mental illness or personal fault.
What’s most frustrating to me is that the truth is so much less complicated. I do it because I love it. I do it because it brings more joy – not happiness – joy. My heart is never more at peace than when I’m exploring a new place. I never feel more at home than when I’m somewhere I’ve never been. I never feel closer to God than when I’m with Him in His creation.
Quick disclaimer here. This is not a religious blog. However, I do believe in God and that faith shapes my worldview so, from time to time, I may mention how certain experiences affected me in that way. I simply can not completely separate that part of myself from my experiences. It’s part of the way I see the world and therefore, it will be part of the way I express myself every now and then. I will not preach my beliefs…other than my belief that you must get off your damn couch and see this planet.
There’s another question – one that I hope this blog may help me answer. This question isn’t one I get from others. It’s a question I have for myself. My ultimate goal in life is to figure out a way to have it all. Of course, isn’t that everyone’s goal? People say you can’t have it all. I don’t believe that. I think it depends on what “having it all” means to you. Someone’s version of that might be very unrealistic and therefore they will never have it all. To me, having it all just means living a life of excitement, adventure, passion and inspiration but also maintaining some sort of stability – a home base, some kind of stable income. As much as I admire those heroes of mine who pick up and leave it all, it’s just not in my genes. I’m too much of a planner and a realist at heart. So my desire for this blog, and my travels, is that it all might be a means of solving that puzzle for myself.
Second – I’m OCD and a blog is a nice, tidy, organized way of telling people my travel stories without having to repeat them 1,000 times or bore all of my Facebook friends with unnecessarily long and way-too personal posts.
Third – The simplest reason for starting this blog is that I hope to inspire others to see the world a little differently – to get out of their comfort zones and push themselves to visit places and meet people who might make them uncomfortable. I can’t promise you comfort. I can’t promise you that every place you go will meet your expectations. I can’t even promise you safety. But I can promise you one thing. I can promise you that it’s those places and those people – the ones that you never expected – that will touch your heart and change the fiber of your being more than anything you could ever have imagined. It’s those experiences that will become the most priceless chapters of your life.
Where?
Where have I been and where am I going? Well, so far I’ve been to 6 continents and somewhere around 30 countries (Continent #7 is in the works). Where am I going? I can only hope that by the time I’m on my deathbed that list is a lot longer.
When?
As often and as much as I possibly can!
How
Easy. I make my passion my priority.
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